


A Dead Man's Tale

by CaedmonOfTheHighland



Series: The Adventures of a Dead Man [1]
Category: Death Note (Anime & Manga), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Animagus, Attempted Fratricide, Attempted Murder, Childhood is just my excuse to write slightly plotty crack, Death, Don't give me your slash warning bullshit because you've been warned, F/M, FBI, Gen, Genius Harry Potter, Harry Potter Has a Twin, Harry can hack? nice, Japanese Magical Institutions, L is a flaming homo, L pines after Harry, Light Yagami Has a Twin, Light and Harry have a very strange relationship, Light is a bit OOC in the beginning, Magical Japan, Magically Powerful Harry Potter, Master of Death Harry Potter, Murder, Slight Name Change, You heard me, honestly, yeah - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-04
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:55:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25077991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaedmonOfTheHighland/pseuds/CaedmonOfTheHighland
Summary: As the master of Death, Harry Potter had gotten himself into many a strange situation. However, he had never lived through anything quite like this.
Relationships: Akino Shiori/Yagami Light, Amane Misa/Yagami Light, One Sided L/ Harry Potter, Yagami Light/OFC
Series: The Adventures of a Dead Man [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1852351
Comments: 14
Kudos: 166





	1. An End, A Beginning

The sterile white walls and the dull sound of his boots thumping on the ground with every step made Heri feel as though he was marching to his execution. He wasn't, of course. While an execution would occur today, it would not be his.

His escorts stopped outside an ordinary-looking cell, number 666. Heri suppressed a laugh at that. Perhaps he should give more credit to the superstitious and religious as the number of the beast was certainly suitable for his elder brother's cell.

Keys jingled as they unlocked the metal door, revealing Yagami Light, looking as elegant and uncaring as ever. Heri might've been fooled by his façade if not for his year of learning to read his brother. The subtle shadows under his eyes and the barely perceptible veins creeping toward his iris were telling. Light was distraught and he was afraid.

"Hello Brother," he spat the word as though it left a sour taste in his mouth.

"Light," He acknowledged calmly, letting his inherent British accent seep into his words. It would not do to let his brother rile him up. He had a story to tell after all and stories could hardly be told when you were stalking away from someone and seething with anger.

"Leave us," He waved a dismissive hand at his escorts who retreated out of immediate ear range but close enough to help should he need it.

"It is imprudent to be alone with a largely successful mass murderer Heri," Light drawled, dark honey coloured eyes twinkling slightly as he proclaimed himself a murderer.

"You are harmless without your death paper and a pen. They should stick you with all the other criminals. You would be suitably beaten before your execution,"

Light smirked

"Alas, it's too late now. There's hardly any time for me to get beaten before my death,"

Heri dragged the metal chair that had been sitting outside the cell towards him, cringing a the high pitched screech it made as it was dragged across the concrete. He sat with as much grace as his brother and waited, eyeing him disdainfully.

Light sighed. "What do you want Heri. For a dead man, you do an awful lot of meddling,"

"I'm here to tell you a story," He said simply. "Should you decide to listen,"

Heri's brother's head tilted ever so slightly to the side, red starting to seep into his eyes.

"I hear the dead tell fascinating stories," He flashed a malicious smile at his brother. "And I'm _dying_ to find out how you outsmarted the Death Note, little brother. So speak,"

Heri rolled his eyes at Light's attempt at intimidating him.

"It all started with a beginning and an end. They are often the same thing, those two. The beginning is the end of an old adventure. The end is the beginning of a new one. And our birth, Light-Kun, was the beginning of a grand adventure,"


	2. Knowledge Comes At the Cost of Your Kin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited 06/07/20: I decided that Heri taking on yet another last name would be a bit too confusing.

Being a self-aware fetus had absolutely no perks, Harry had learned as much during his last rebirth. The womb was a lonely place, constricting and dark. being surrounded by water when you were so used to breathing was nearly torturous, like a constant sense of drowning. This time, however, the discomfort had doubled. He was sharing the already small womb with someone else.

'A twin,' he mused 'That's definitely new,' He thought back to a pair of twins in his original life and if fetuses could smile, Harry certainly would be. He hadn't much time to think about his new twin before the contractions started. 

A mental sigh, the only kind he was capable of, escaped him. He rather hated being born. It was cold and bright and generally unpleasant. In an attempt to stay in their small bubble warmth for even a few hours longer, Harry pushed his... bodily flatmate towards the exit. He watched him get essentially sucked towards the entrance of the vagina and waved a little as he got ejected.

he floated around a little while longer before finally giving in to the contractions and letting himself be pushed towards out of the uterus. 

As opposed to what many might think, birth was a tiring affair for everyone involved and babies were usually just as exhausted as their mothers after being birthed. Who would want to be pushed through a tight tube, into shocking light and temperatures, handled by unknown men and women, stabbed by needles, wrapped like a burrito and plopped into their mother's arms? certainly not him. 

Swaddled tightly in one of his mother's arms as she gazed down at him, Harry felt an odd mixture of safety and uncomfortableness. He was an 80-year-old immortal! He didn't need to be swaddled and cradled. But when he let himself go he found that he enjoyed it. For a short while, Harry could let go of all his responsibilities and simply be.

"How blessed I am," His mother whispered as she held him and his twin brother. "I have been bestowed to beautiful boys. Light," She kissed his biologically older twin's forehead, "And Heri," She kissed his forehead, chapped lips against tender newborn skin.

A peal of giggles burst through his lips. It had been a long time since he's had a name so similar to his first and true name. 'Harry James Potter' he thought. That name carried a burden, a crushing weight he had been thankful to escape. Despite all of that it is his true name. Harry James Potter is all that Heri is and all that he will ever be.

He was pulled from his thoughts as his new mother bounced him soothingly and sung low and tunelessly. It was clear that he would be no musical talent in this life. Her voice, while not melodic, was soothing and lulled him into the waiting arms of Morpheus. 

When Heri peeled his eyes open, having dreamt twisted memories of lives past, the light did not burn his retina as the hospital's harsh white light had, stabbing his eyes like divine knives. He could hear singing again, somewhere off outside the room. It was his mother, this time a little more in tune. 

"We're only human," She sang as she came into view, cradling his brother, 'We can't see. Who we are is who we'll always be." 

She approached neared his crib, oblivious to the fact that he was awake. 

"Only human, after all. So we push and we shove with this thing we call love 'til we fall," 

She continued to hum, lyrics forgotten as she rocked Light. Suddenly feeling very sleepy, Heri let himself drift back to sleep, his mother's song playing in his head.

Heri's early childhood was full of songs. Songs about mortality and love. About games and hurricanes. Uncrossable lines and unethical men. He began to wonder if she was truly a squib seer (a rare occurrence but not impossible), a belief that did not abate all through his childhood. Seer or not, her songs were enchanting and imprinted themselves in his mind.

xxx

Heri could not be bothered to play baby this time around. He had already lived twice. He would admit that they had been very short lives, especially for a wizard who could live to nearly 200 years old. He would say his first word at 3 weeks, learn to walk at 4 months, learn to read at a year old. No one could stop him. He was labelled a genius, a prodigy. In reality, it would be very embarrassing for an eighty-year-old man to still pee in his pants (Perhaps not, many elderly muggles wore diapers).

His only regret in showing his genius to the world was that it drew the attention of the witches and wizards. Even with his core partially blocked off, it was much larger than that of any other infant. His accidental magic came in such large bursts that obliviators had shown up at his home several times. It had even gone so far that a pureblood politician had demanded a blood test for him to make sure that the "Filthy Muggles" hadn't stolen him from a "Respectable Pureblood Family". While the idea of the magical world letting one of the children they cherished so much get stolen, and by muggles to boot, was laughable, but it was nice to know that some things never changed.

A couple of months after Light and Heri's third birthday, the Yagami family welcomed a new member. Sweet little Sayu, a cherub looking baby who would not cease to gurgle and giggle until she fell asleep. Little Sayu was the only member of the Yagami family that got to experience magic. When he was sure no one was watching, he would animate her toys for her. 

They attended many a tea party with all of Sayu's stuffed animal friends. In an effort to dress Heri properly, she had forced him into a long princess dress with puffed sleeves. He had magically grown out his hair for her to braid and brushes she saw fit. He even let her powder his cheeks, much to the amusement of his twin brother. And once Heri was properly dressed and powdered, she would instruct him on how to drink tea in an adorable broken English with her attempt at a British accent. Heri simply smirked as she instructed him to hold his teacup entirely wrong and narrowly avoided spilling it on his new pastel pink dress as he was growing rather fond of it.

His elder brother was also quite intelligent. While he didn't have the drive required to be a child prodigy, he was certainly not lacking in the brains department. Light Yagami was perhaps the most insightful child Heri had ever had the pleasure of meeting and the quickest study when he was truly interested in something. Ask him about trains and he would babble on for hours about the mechanisms of a steam engine but he had absolutely no idea which part of the Americas was called Canada. It soothed Heri slightly that he was intelligent, just hoping that he would not burn out trying to keep up with him. 

His life was perfect before his reality crashed down on him. 

xxx

His admittance letter to The Japanese Institution of Magic was, essentially, the start of it all.

"Heri!" Sayu squealed as he picked her up, threw her over his shoulder and carried her down the stairs.

"You can't spend all summer planning what to wear on the first day of school Sayu," He responded, ignoring her hands fisting his long hair, "Even aspiring fashion designers have to eat sometimes," 

"Don't be ridiculous, I already know what I'm wearing on the first day of school. We have school uniforms remember?" She flicked the back of his head, "The outfit is for going out with my friends afterwards," 

He sighed as he put her back down. 

"Sayu, you're seven years old,"

"We're going to go play in the nearby park. Mama already said she would take me," 

Light snorted into his cereal where he was sitting nearby, covering his face with the day's newspaper and getting Sayu's attention. 

"Hey! Light, I heard that!" She continued to pester Light who had to try harder and harder not to choke on his breakfast.

Heri shook his head as he looked on, watching his twin brother get tackled off his chair, taking the cereal and the paper down with him. He was preparing to intervene when he heard a sharp tap behind him. He whirled around to find a large Ural owl sitting on the windowsill as if it was perfectly normal for it to be there. It met his eyes before waving it's leg, showing off the letter tied there. 

Careful not to alert Sayu and Light to the presence of the owl, he crept towards the window and opened it carefully. He untied the letter from the owl, shoved it into his pocket and gave him a few pieces of cereal.

"I'm sorry," He whispered, "That's all I have at the moment," 

The owl hooted in response. Heri cursed internally as he turned slowly back to where his siblings had been play-fighting.

"Heri..." Light started, "Is that an owl?"

"Er... Yes?"

"And why," He continued slowly as though he was talking to an imbecile, "Were you feeding a wild owl cereal?" 

"I figured it might be hungry?"

Light raised an eyebrow. 

"You are aware that owls of are birds of prey? They eat meat. Rodents; mice, rats, shrews, the like."

"Yes, I knew that,"

Light sighed.

"You are somehow both the smartest and dumbest person I've ever met," he told Heri sincerely, causing his twin to burst into laughter. 

Light turned around, heading towards the shower as he was still soaked in milk. He climbed the stairs complaining to himself about idiot geniuses and owl whisperers.

Heri scurried upstairs as well, retreating into his room to open up the letter he had gotten off of the owl, curious as to who would be sending him wizarding mail. He should have expected it to be about school. Light wasn't exaggerating when he called him daft.

He pulled apart the ribbon bow keep it together and unrolled the delicate parchment,

_'Yagami Heri,_

_You are hereby invited to attend Japan's Institute of Magic in the capacity of a first-year student. As your supply list will vary depending on your position within the school system, you are not required to bring any school supplies with you. They will be bought for you, paid for by your tuition._

_The school you will be attending is the Magical side of the school, not the one the non-magicals so revere. While they are, in fact, run by the same person, the non-magical education is much less comprehensive for obvious reasons._

_It is your choice whether or not you inform your parent(s) or guardian(s) of the true nature of your invitation to this school. We understand that not all non-magicals are accepting of magic. While some students will be required to pay tuition but should you decide not to tell your parents of the nature of your invitation, you will be receiving a 'full-ride scholarship' to the lowest branch of the Institute. This may not make sense to you but it will be further explained upon your arrival at the Branching Hall. Be aware that this decision may affect your status in the magical world._

_Should you decide you wish to attend, a signature in blood will be required on the backside of this parchment. By your agreement, your magic will transport you into the Branching Hall and all further procedures will be explained._

_Cordially,_

_Headmistress Saito of The Japanese Institution of Magic'_

Heri pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. He had absolutely no idea what Japan's magical education system was like. His two lives had taken place in Britain and he had rarely ventured out of the country, knowing he had all eternity to visit the world. His second life had been spent building up enough money for him to live comfortably this life, a fail-safe for if he found himself kicked out or abused. He supposed that the money from his stint in the 1800s would be coming in handy for his possible tuition. 

He sighed, pulling out the additional letter. He read it over and sighed in relief when he found it was much more comprehensive than the wizarding one. Just to be safe, he put the strongest compulsion charm he could on it without his wand (He would have to retrieve the elder wand from wherever it was at the moment) and stashed it in his wardrobe for when his father came home.

xxx

Yagami Soichiro knew that his sons were geniuses. It had been made abundantly clear to him ever since Heri had started reading at the tender young age of 13 months. Despite all this, he was still shocked beyond belief when his ten-year-old son handed him a signed scholarship letter for the most prestigious school in Japan. Simply named The Japan Institute, the school had formed the most influential and capable men and women of Japan. It also had notoriously high tuition fees. 

He gaped at Heri for what seemed like hours. A colony of flies surely settled itself in this mouth. All the while, Heri went back to eating his supper calmly as though he hadn't been offered a full-ride scholarship to the greatest school on the island.

"Love?" His wife Sachiko pulled him out of his stupor. "Is everything alright?"

He turned to him eyes wide. "He hasn't told you?"

Sachiko's brows furrowed. "Told me what?"

Soichiro blinked and turned back to his son who was chewing delicately a slice of sausage.

"Heri. Would you perhaps like to explain this to the rest of the family?" He waved the piece of paper a little.

Heri wiped his mouth with a napkin. "I've been offered a scholarship for the Japan Institute. It will cover the rest of my schooling," he stabbed another sausage slice and popped it into his mouth.

Everyone at the table stared blankly at him. Light processed the news first. 

"YOU WHAT?"

Heri opened his mouth to answer again but that was apparently not what Light wanted.

"You applied for a scholarship at THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS SCHOOL IN JAPAN without me? What did you think I was too stupid to get a scholarship too? Is this just the last step in your plan to completely outshine me?" he demanded, not seeing the irony in Light being outshined

"You-, I- Argh!" Light threw down his fork, not even letting Heri answer his question before stalking out of the room.

"I didn't- Light..." He nearly ran off after his brother before realising that the rest of his family was still staring at him dumbfounded.

"Can I go then?" He asked them calmly, disguising the hurt in his voice.

"Of course Heri. We could never deny you something like this,"

He gave them a half-smile before running after Light, supper forgotten. 

Heri lingered outside Light's door. His hand rose decisively and three sharp knocks sounded against his brother's wooden door. 

"Go away Heri," Light responded, voice thick with tears an betrayal.

"Light-"

"No,"

Heri sat down, beside the door leaning his forehead on the cool wood he spoke with surprisingly clearly. "I'll not be leaving before you open this door,"

"So be it," 

Heri curled his body up, still leaning on the door. He watched as every member of the family passed him on their way to bed, a silent glance full of pride cast at him as they walk by but Heri pays no attention to that. Soon enough, the lights in the hall go out. Heri loses himself in the ambient noises around him, hearing the echo of his mother's songs. They lulled him to sleep as easily as they did when he was a child. His eyes close and he welcomed the sweet, anodyne darkness.

xxx

Heri woke to the feeling of being kicked in the gut. It was not a pleasant feeling and it stirred up memories of a particularly overweight little boy.

He opened his eyes blearily, adjusting to the light that now shone through the windows. He glanced up to find Light standing over him with a scowl.

"The door's open, you can move now," He said icily. 

Heri rolled out of the way if only to avoid being kicked again.

"Light, we need to talk,"

"Like hell we do," Light stomped away and he knew from previous experience that chasing after him would be a waste of time. 

He trod back to his room, sat himself down at the desk he had pushed into a corner, staring at his letter. making a decision, he dug his letter opened into his hand, causing blood to well up. he dipped a quill into it and signed his name as Heri Yagami. He sighed, staring at his name, bright red against the delicate whites of the parchment. He felt as though he was betraying the Light by taking his place amount the students of The Institute. 

No matter there was no turning back now. What was done was done and actions of the past dictated what was to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, a few notes here:
> 
> Harry has long hair. I'm so sorry, I couldn't resist. If this isn't your first time reading my work,you'll know that most of my Harrys have long hair. Men with long hair are underrated as hell and honestly, long hair is badass.
> 
> The song lyrics are actually from the English demo album of Death Note the Musical. If you're into musicals (even if you're not) you should definitely check it out The vocals, the symbolism, the references to the source material, everything is just perfect.
> 
> For all those wondering, Anodyne means something that eases pain or is relaxing


	3. The Bet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heri makes an acquaintance in the city before running off to Magic School

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like this story is just slowly becoming crack. I've really got to reign Light in (That snarky little shit).

It was funny how fast time flew by. In a blink of an eye, July had faded into August and soon enough, September would be starting.

Despite its briefness, Heri still felt the summer was too long. Normally, he would be glad to have some time off his academics and would spend time with his siblings. This summer, his admittance to the Institute had made that impossible and was making his home life very uncomfortable. His twin brother glared at him whenever possible, which was a lot considering they lived in the same house. 

Heri had taken to going on long walks in the summer heat, wandering the neighbourhood. Today, however, was the first time he had ended up In the heart of the city. Heri gasped as he spun on himself, taking in the breathtaking view of downtown Tokyo.

"Bloody Hell," He muttered under his breath, watching the city move in ways that were as familiar as they were unfamiliar. It was exactly like London from what he'd seen of it but at the same time, it was completely different. 

He wandered around, looking wistfully into shops as he contemplated his new school. In his nostalgic and somewhat disorienting daze, he did nothing but stare as a group of young teens raced past him, knocking him flat. His fall caused a chain reaction of people stumbling and tripping around him. The pavement had certainly not been made with crowds the current size in mind. 

Everyone regained their balance, but not before a much older teen, perhaps on the cusp of adulthood tripped over Heri, bags flying through the air before landing on the ground with a sickening splat.

Eyes widening, Heri scrambled up and offered a hand to the fallen teen who was staring at his bags as though they had broken his heart.

"I'm so sorry! Are you alright!" He asked, going over to pick up the fallen bags when his hand was rejected. Peeking in it, he grimaced, seeing smashed pastries and candies. The teenager stood, snatching his bags back and looking into them as well. 

The teen scowled at him through a curtain of dishevelled hair causing guilt and amusement to bubble up inside him.

"I really am sorry about your sweets," He said, smiling "I'll make it up to you though," He told him, grabbing his sleeve and pulling him back towards the confectionary store.

"Hey!" The teen spluttered indignantly as he was dragged along the pavement by a ten-year-old. He looked anxiously over at the black car that was waiting for him at the end of the street. He did not even need to see through the tinted window that Wammy was laughing at him. 

Heri stopped in front of the store momentarily to glance back at his unwilling companion before marching into the store and grabbing a basket.

"Is there anything you particularly like?" he asked the teen who was brushing off his white shirt where Heri had touched it. When he received only a glare in response, he grinned widely and began to drag the boy all over the store, placing one of every single item in the store in the basket. The teenager's eyes widened the more he grabbed and when they finally arrived at the checkout, Heri's admittedly puny ten-year-old muscles ached something fierce. 

The lady working at the counter glanced at him suspiciously as he walked up with the basket full of sweets but said nothing as he presented the required amount of money. 

"Thank you, Miss," he told her politely as she bagged his purchases. She simply nodded her head and handed over the bags. Heri took them gratefully and dragged the still nameless teen out of the store with him. 

"Here you go," he said cheerfully, handing over the bags. After being dragged in and out of a store, the young man seemed to compose himself. The shocked look fled his face, replaced by a blank mask. While he didn't straighten completely, he hunched slightly less. He stared sceptically at Heri for a few moments before seemingly finding what he was looking for. 

"Thank you," he said solemnly. He glanced over to the car where he knew Wammy was waiting. "I'll be on my way now then," 

He was a bit uncomfortable. He wasn't very good with children or with people in general really. 

L's young companion smiled at him, a knowing and disconcerting smile. 

"Yagami Heri," He said, extending a hand. L's smile thinned as he realised that he was required to give a name back.

"Anderson. Anderson Yoshio," he offered, refusing to shake the germ riddled hand of a ten-year-old boy.

I slight dip and an "Enjoy your sweets," was all he got from the young boy before he took off back the way he had been heading before he had tripped. Tilting his head, the world's greatest detective contemplated Heri's retreating back. 'A strange child' he thought 'And surely very interesting,' 

As he turned away and walked back towards the car, he thought that he might not mind seeing that young boy again if only to learn more about his strange tendencies.

xxx

The sweet-toothed teenager Heri had met earlier had already drifted from his mind as he walked home, stomach rumbling. twisting his key in the lock on the door and opening it, he was met with the smell of beef and rice. 

Heri sighed, inhaling it deeply before toeing off his shoes, shutting the door and venturing into the dining room. There, he found only his father, tapping away on the computer. Good. He was not late for dinner then. 

"Heri? is that you? His mother called from the kitchen.

"Yes, mum," He replied, wandering towards her voice.

"Good, we were waiting for you. The table needs setting,"

"Yes, mum," He said again, already collecting cutlery and dishes to place them on the dining room. 

Once the table was set, plates were filled and set down and everyone had been called, the Yagami family was eating. As always, with the twins at odds, it was a stiff affair. Although Light's anger seemed to have calmed, he refused to apologise and Heri had long since given up. 

As soon as he was done, Light excused himself. He practically ran back to his room where he had been camping out since he had found out about The Institute.

Soichiro let out a heavy sigh. As loathe as he was to admit it, Heri's departure to his new school could not come soon enough. With the pressure his job put him under near constantly, he had trouble putting up with the twins' antics. Heri stood, picking up his plate and moved to put it in the kitchen sink before slinking out of the room with grace no one else in the family seemed to possess. 

As far as black sheep went, Heri was certainly the oddity of the family. Instead of the dark brown hair that ran through the family, his hair was a pretty straw colour like his brother. He had decided very early that he didn't much like the colour and dyed it black at his earliest convenience. His features even now were soft but aristocratic. He had green eyes that had puzzled the elder Yagamis when the colour had first appeared. They even held a strange sort of glow. With his long hair, he was very reminiscent of an elf.

Heri stepped out of the kitchen through the back door and strolled towards their small garden. While it was mostly maintained by his mother, he had a small corner to plant whatever he wanted. Inhaling the scent of Tuberoses as he wandered towards his garden, he smiled softly. The next day, he would be departing for the Institute and he wouldn't be able to sit in his small garden.

Inhaling deeply again, he stared up at the stars, grinning widely when he found Ginevra's favourite constellation. Camelopardalis shone like the rest of the sky, it's four stars unremarkable in the veritable sea of them. Ginny had never really told him why she loved it so much, only dragged him outside to admire it with her. 

He fondly recalled the very serious discussion they'd had before the birth of their first child. Ginny had wanted to name him Camel or Pardalis after the stars she loved so much. He had snorted at the notion of naming his heir after a desert animal and they'd had a very passionate conversation that might have ended in blows had they been anyone else. 

Smiling slightly as he recalled his wife. She was still alive in this time, fighting fiercely against the dark lord and his fanatics. His old age seemed to catch up with him for a few moments before he relaxed again. As much as she loved Ginny, she was in his past. She belonged with Harry Potter and only fools rob themselves of happiness. 

Heri tensed as he heard a pair of feet walking towards him. He had no weapon with which to defend himself and since he got his acceptance letter, he would not be able to use magic outside of school until he turned 18 again. 

He relaxed only slightly when his twin brother, Light, walked around the corner.

"Hello Heri," he said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Light," Heri returned cautiously.

"We both owe each other an apology,"

Heri's eyebrows rose. "How do you figure?"

Light crossed his arms. "I was being an idiot. I shouldn't have reacted like that,"

Heri sighed, unsure if it was an exasperated sigh or an amused one. 

"I'm sorry for getting a scholarship I didn't apply for," He responded. It seemed his pettiness had not faded with time.

Light's eyes widened. "You didn't apply for it?"

Heri shook his head. "It just appeared in the mail one day," It was as close as he could get without breaking the statute of secrecy.

Light contemplated that before a grin spread across his face.

"Oh, it's on," He pushed his finger into Heri's chest, causing him to stumble back as the smaller of the two "I'm going to be smarter than you," 

Heri gaped at him. He had expected Light to get more upset or accuse him of lying. This was nearly the polar opposite.

The finger retreated from Heri's chest and a hand was offered. 

"The first to graduate wins," He said deviously.

"And what will I be winning exactly," Heri teased, relieved that Light had returned to normal.

"Don't get cocky now," Light smiled, "How's the title of better twin?"

Heri grabbed Light's hand, shaking fiercely.

"Get ready to lose Yagami," he said, still sporting an enormous grin

"Eat my dust Yagami," Light responded.

He pulled on their clasped hands, pulling Heri up from his seat in amidst the flowers.

"Come on, you'll need to get some rest before you go off to genius school tomorrow," He said, his expression dimming a little bit.

"I suppose so," Heri said, disentangling his hand from his brother's. 

They made their way back into the house where their mother sat, sipping on a glass of wine. 

"So, you boys have made up?" She asked 

"It's amazing what a bit of healthy competition can do," Light told her

"Good. Now off to bed with the pair of you," She smiled softly at them before returning to her previous activities.

They climbed the stairs leading to their bedrooms, creeping past Sayu's door.

Harry had passed Light's door only by a little when he was suddenly pulled back and into a hug.

"Woah," he said, confused as Light hugged him tightly, nearly cracking some ribs.

"I really am sorry," Light whispered.

Heri awkwardly patted his back. "It's alright Light, really,"

Light sniffled a bit before releasing him.

"Goodnight Heri,"

"Night Light," 

Light retreated into his room, shutting the door quietly.

Heri stumbled to his own room and collapsed into bed, too tired to change. Walking all the way downtown took quite a bit of energy.

xxx

"Typical, he's not even awake," A young voice said somewhere above him.

"He's WHAT" A different, muffled voice screamed, "That idiot. What was he thinking, tiring himself out like he did yesterday?" The voice demanded, getting closer.

"He's still in his day clothes too. At this rate, he'll never get to the school,"

"WHAT," the second voice screeched, now directly beside his ear. "YAGAMI HERI, YOU WAKE YOUR GENIUS ARSE UP RIGHT THIS SECOND," 

Heri groaned, cracking his eyes opened to see Light and Sayu's faces floating above him.

"What are you two doing?" He moaned as he turned over, trying to get just five more minutes of blissful sleep.

"Oh, no you don't," Light told him, grabbing his elbow and dragging him out of the bed. Heri didn't even have a chance to try and stand up as he was dragged down the hall and thrown into the bathroom. 

"You." Light threw a pile of clothes handed to him by Sayu into his twin brother's face, "Are going to get in that shower," He pointed at the shower, "Get dressed, and GET TO YOUR GOD DAMNED BOARDING SCHOOL ON TIME"

Heri peeled a shirt off of his face before staring wide-eyed at his brother.

"I refuse to win our bet by default because you didn't get to school on time," He explained flatly before turning on his heel, slamming the bathroom door behind him.

Not willing to risk Light's wrath, Heri showered quickly before dressing and grabbing his thankfully already packed bags. He made his way down the stairs, Fumbling with his hair as he tried to plait it with one hand.

Light snorted when he saw the state of his hair. Sayu was infinitely more helpful as she raced over to her older brother and quickly braided his hair for him.

"I honestly don't know why you keep your hair this long," She told him as she braided and he shoved a shoe on his foot, "It's not like you attend my tea parties anymore,"

"There aren't any to attend," He pointed out as he shoved his other for in his shoe, "Besides, I like it,"

Sayu tied a ribbon around the end of the plait and he stood, grabbing his luggage which was not very much as the school was taking his uniform and school supplies out of his possible tuition? He was still a bit confused on the whole tuition issue but he figured he would cross that bridge when he got to it. 

"Mom, Dad, I'm off!" He waved, ducking out the door.

"Heri, catch," Light called and something small and red sailed through the air.

Upon catching it, Heri realised it was an apple. He shot a quizzical look at Light who just shrugged and told him that _'Breakfast is the most important meal of the day'_ before shooing him out the door.

Heri felt like he had just walked through a whirlwind and stood there for a moment before walking out the front gate and down the street.

Once he was far enough away from his house, he ducked into a dark alley and waited for his magic to apparate him where he needed to go.

After a few minutes, he felt a little tug at his nasal, his only warning before he was squeezed through space, a feeling that resembled what toothpaste would feel while it was being squeezed out of the tube. He tightened his grip on his luggage, ready for The Institution.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I just read Rebirth by Athey for the first time and damn, I honestly wish there was more. But I also realised that we used the same alias for Harry! Heh, sorry 'bout that Athey.
> 
> But really, Rebirth is definitely worth a read if you haven't read it already and if you have, a reread never hurt anyone.


	4. Life As A Single Twin (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Between Light's sudden and slightly concerning schoolyard crush, Heri's unpredictable appearances and his Aunt's abrupt arrival, life at home has never been less boring.
> 
> Lmao, this is crack if I've ever seen it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Loves, 
> 
> Thank you guys for being so patient with me and my sporadic updates! 
> 
> I'm sorry I've kept you waiting so long but unfortunately, I've not had enough time to write a full chapter since I've gotten back from my camping trip. 
> 
> I offer you this as a peace offering. 
> 
> It's very short but It's the beginnings of Heri and Light's school years. Hopefully, it'll tide you over until I get a full chapter finished.

_October 1996,_

The Yagami's didn't truly notice Heri's presence until it was gone. He had always been a fixture in the household, as he should be. Because of this, his absence was like a glaring hole in the Yagami household. It could be found in small things like a missing pair of shoes by the door or an extra fork placed at the table or an awkward silence where his sarcastic interjections would be. 

For Light Yagami, everything was a reminder of his missing twin and it was like a punch in the gut. Everything was empty; An empty desk beside him in class, an empty hall when he got out of class, An empty room right beside his, usually so full of life and noise. 

Everyone dealt with the hole a little differently. Soichiro threw himself into his work in the same way that Light threw himself into his academics, hellbent on winning his bet. Sayu spent more time with her friend, dragging her poor mother along with her to chaperone. Slowly, the gap receded, not closing completely but becoming less obvious. Some days though... some days were worse than others. It was on one such day that Yagami Light met Iha Masumi.

Parked at one of the small, uncomfortable desks of the maths classroom, Light pinched his nose in annoyance. The worksheet that their teacher had handed out was, as usual, painfully easy. Within fifteen minutes he had finished and looked over his work.

Releasing his nose, Light griped his pen, letting it slide over a fresh page of his notebook. Positioning the pen between two fingers, he let the pen swing like a pendulum, every pass leaving a dark line on the paper. The page slowly filled with ink scribbles and when the class was nearing its end, there was little white left.

Wrinkling his nose, Light ripped the page from his notebook and balled it up, throwing it lazily in the direction of the garbage. The crumpled page bounced off the head of a raven-haired girl in the third row before tumbling into the bottle recycling beside the trash can. With a defeated sigh, Light turned back to his paper.

An unfamiliar tingling sensation had him looking up again. The girl from the third row had turned towards him and was glaring menacingly. Light met her eyes sheepishly before nearly tumbling out of his seat.

Her eyes. Filled with anger, narrowed into slits, but most importantly green. Green, so green. Green as emeralds, green as the foliage of the trees planted around the perimeter of the schoolyard, green as everyone's favourite traffic light. Green like Heri's. 

It was an unusual green, not the kind you'd expect to find in a human. And yet there it was. Light's eyes trailed over her face, taking in her features. Her dark hair was cut into a sharp bob, stopping just before the beginning of her jaw, free of any kind of restraints and her body was flat as if she had been compressed.

The girl looked like his brother. Really, she was even more masculine than her brother. This girl looked like his brother and Light was infatuated. 

Noticing the glazed look in his eyes, the girl rolled her eyes and turned away to whisper to her blonde friend, clearly annoyed. 

Light despaired the loss of her attention. 

The bell rang and she rose slowly, still talking with her friend, now at a regular volume. 

"Honestly, that boy-" He heard as she scooped her bag up from the ground, flashing a leather nametag in his direction.

_Iha Masumi_

Iha Masumi. Light filed her name away in his mind, swinging his own bag over his shoulder and stepping out into the hall. 

While Light may be a bit naive, he did not lie to himself. He knew that there was no such thing as love at first sight. Not when the girl he was so attracted to was so similar to his brother. But what did that say about him? Pushing the thoughts from his mind, Light decided that he genuinely did not want to know. 

All he knew is that he would win over Iha Masumi. Somehow. 

xxx

_December 24th and 25th, 1996_

Christmas Eve was a tense affair for everyone. Much to Light's ire, Heri had not written a word since he'd arrived at school. They did not know what his plans were but, a sliver of hope had led them to place a few gifs under the tree for him.

The fire crackled merrily in the grate as The Yagami's sat watching a cheesy seasonal movie. Instead of fixating on the television like the rest of the family, Light stared out the window at the fluffy rain falling in the streets, his eyes tricking him into seeing dark figures in on the pavement.

Light did not even notice when the movie finished and everyone slowly started to move towards their bedrooms, he was so enthralled with the shadows outside. Slowly, he drifted off, still swaddled in blankets on the couch. The hour was getting later and later, and his hopes of Heri coming home were steadily dimming.

He jolted awake when he heard the crash. Heart beating frantically and eyes searching the room at the same pace, he slipped from his nest of blankets and padded cautiously towards the kitchen. The back door was wide open, swaying int the wind.

Pulling a frying man from the stove, Light followed the muddy footprints towards the washroom. The light was on and he could hear the tap running.

He breathed deeply, bracing himself, before kicking open the door violently, closing his eyes and swinging the frying pan around wildly. He felt it connect with something and whoever had been standing in the bathroom crumpled. They landed on the floor with a concerning crunch.

Slowly, Light toed the door open further and nearly gasped when he saw a head op red and white laying on the tiled floor.

"I-" He backed away, hands flying to his mouth. "I've killed Santa!"

The lump on the ground shifted and groaned softly. Light raced back over, pulling Santa up. He was rather small and light for a grown man but his small stature helped Light drag him to the couch and he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. 

Finally arriving in the living room, Light draped Santa face up on the couch and got his first good look at his face.

His features were youthful, a direct contrast from the way he was usually portrayed. His hair, dark, long, and silky smooth, looked like t had been pulled straight from a shampoo commercial. Something about the image was oddly familiar.

It was not until Light removed his jacket that he realised what was truly going on. Underneath the jacket, he was wearing a strange uniform with TI embroidered on the breast.

TI. The Institute.

Light's face heated with shame. He hadn't even recognized his own brother! He paced back and forth in front of the couch, glaring at his unconscious twin. He would definitely need to get him back for breaking into the house dressed as Santa Claus. And for a moment he had even believed it! The confused ten-year-old would be berating himself for weeks because of this.

He glanced back at the tree and inspiration struck. 

Leaving his unconscious and possibly comatose or concussed brother alone on the couch in a marvelling display of prepubescent idiocy, Light hunted for the roll of wrapping paper his parents had used for wrapping gifts. Finding it inside a cupboard along with some ribbon, bows, and tape, he practically ran back downstairs.

After carefully but tightly tying his hands together behind his back and binding his ankles together, Light lowered Heri onto the edge of the wrapping paper and proceeded to start rolling him. Soon enough, Heri was covered from head to toe with colourful paper. Securing the paper with ribbons and tape and plopping a green bow on Heri's head, Light moved back towards the couch and scooped up a pillow, sliding it carefully underneath his twins head. 

Heri was unceremoniously shoved underneath the tree and Light wiped his hands together, congratulating himself on a job well done. He climbed the stairs, looking back only once to admire his handiwork. 

_'Serves him right,'_ He thought as he leapt over the step that creaked every single time you stepped on it, _'He didn't even write a single bloody letter'_

He fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow and dreamt of nothing but calm darkness. 

He was awoken by Sayu shaking him with all her might, screaming at him to get up. He was vastly unimpressed but unsurprised by her methods. She clearly wanted to unwrap her presents and it was a longstanding Yagami family tradition that no one was to go anywhere near the gifts or even the room where the gifts were without everyone present.

Light stumbled down the stairs, looking much like a zombie and greeted his family unenthusiastically. They were all far too loud, he decided as he swiped his father's coffee and took a long swig of the bitter brown liquid.

His father snatched it back near automatically but Light was already feeling better with some caffeine in his system. 

He obediently let say guide hm and their parents towards the living room but much like them, he gasped in surprise when he entered the room.

Heri was no longer laying where he left him. Instead, he was perched on the top of the tree, completely defying the laws of physics.

The wrapping paper which nad once looked like a deformed tube had been folded and taped into some sort of toga and his uniform lay discarded in the corner of a room, along with the latter he probably used to get up there in the first place.

"Merry Christmas, ladies and gentlemen," he said with a cheeky grin, "I gift you all with my presence,"

Light's jaw dropped. He blinked, letting his eyes stay closed for a moment or two longer than usual before staring at his twin again, trying to process what in the bloody hell he was seeing. 

Heri pulled a chalkboard seemingly out of his ass, taking one of the chalks attached to it and writing LIGHT 0, HERI 1 on it. He hung it around his neck like a giant necklace and winked at his twin, pulling Light from his daze. 

"HERI!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The votes were unanimous on the last update. Time skip it is! I have to say, I'm actually kind of glad about that. Writing a complementary fic has let me shave off nearly FORTY-FIVE chapters worth of material. Whew. Trust me, I was rather surprised when I moved all the planned school chapters to a different work (I use Wattpad to write everything because it's just so convenient for that). I'm about 99.9% sure I would've burned out way before hitting the 100 and something chapters I'd planned.
> 
> I've decided to write the school chapters from Light's perspective instead since my plans for the complementary fic barely include him. It'll be a maximum of three chapters though. Just the most important parts for building the story and enough to meet a pair of new characters!
> 
> I'm really grateful for everyone's input! While it is my story, you guys' comments are always taken into consideration. They're also very encouraging. Let me tell you, even now when I get a comment, I hold my phone to my chest and jump up and down screeching unintelligibly.
> 
> Stay Safe everyone!


	5. Life as a Single Twin (Part 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've just got to say, damn, poor Heri DID NOT get out of The Institute unscathed. My man has some serious physical and emotional scars.

_September 1997,_

Light had never thought much about crossdressing which was strange since his brother seemed to do it very often (mostly for their sister's sake). He had no particular opinions on crossdressers. He was of the firm belief that people can do whatever the bloody hell they want so long as it doesn't affect him. So when he first saw the men in dresses, he hardly even noticed them.

He first saw them down the street from his house, There were three of them, all dressed in strange styles of dresses with long billowy sleeves and trains that dragged along the ground when the walked. Even with the strange attire, they clearly came from a lot of money. The fabric of their dresses shimmered in the sun, probably high-quality silk and they had decorated themselves with so much jewellery that they looked like the inside of a gold mine.

He ignored them in favour of setting off for school. Admiring three rich men in dresses was not more important than getting to class on time. At least it wasn't until they started following him. 

They weren't subtle. Oh, they were clearly trying to be but they stood out like a Highlighter Yellow elephant wandering the streets in Surrey. They trailed him through streets and down alleyways and even through a few buildings in his futile attempts to lose them.

Deciding to just get to school as quickly as possible, Light slipped through a narrow alley, a well-known shortcut to get to his school. He stopped abruptly when one of the men appeared suddenly in front of him. 

Light backed up only to hit another man standing behind him. Plastering himself to the wall, he looked between the two men and their third companion standing at the end of the alleyway. He was trapped.

"What do you want?" He asked them fearfully, expecting to be assaulted or kidnapped. Instead, the first man smiled menacingly and whipped a stick out of his pocket. Momentarily, Light forgot his fear as he wondered why the man was pointing a long stake at him. Did they think he was a vampire?

He snorted in amusement, deepening the second man's scowl. The stake wielding man waved his stick around, murmuring under his breath.

A sickly red light shot out and Light's body lit on fire. Outwardly, he was okay but his guts felt like molten lava, burning through bones muscle and sinew alike. Invisible knives stabbed into him, blinding him with the sheer intensity of pain. A gloved hand was shoved into his mouth to keep him from screaming and instead, he bit down. 

The pain may have only really lasted a few seconds but for Light, it was an eternity and a half. He slid bonelessly down the wall, landing painfully on his tailbone. He tipped his head back, not even caring if he was baring his neck to his attackers. His world was spinning. He closed his eyes and groaned deeply, not noticing the other spell that was sent towards him or the short pulsing brown light that surrounded him like a halo.

He did, however, feel the spit that fell on his face.

"He was telling the truth," Dress Man number 1 said to his companions. 

"Filthy Muggle," A rough voice said, his sneer practically audible.

"That makes our prodigy a little Mudblood," The first voice growled. A boot connected with Light's face and he fell over from his previous upright position. 

"We have to get back," The first voice, clearly the ringleader, told the other two men. Footsteps came closer to Light's head. He stilled, readying himself for another kick but instead, he heard a single whispered word.

"Obliviate"

Light came to sometime later, alone in the narrow alley. The first thing he felt was the pain. A consistent ache that penetrated every inch of his body. Next, he felt the dried blood. It caked his lips and the lower part of his face, already crusty. Last, he felt panic. The all-encompassing panic caused by the position of the sun. The sun that was currently burrowing into the ground like a golden circular mole. 

He'd missed school.

It was not like being late for class. Hell, it wasn't even like skipping a class. He had skipped out on an entire day of school in favour of laying bloodied in a remote alleyway.

Groaning, Light hooked his fingers into the brick of the wall behind him, painfully hauling himself up. His legs shook and had a hard time supporting his weight but with the help of a stray piece of wood he'd found lying a few metres away, he managed to stay upright.

While he adjusted, he thought back on how he had ended up there in the first place. his mind was almost suspiciously blank of any incident that could have led to his current condition. He seemed to be very beaten, despite the lack of bruises and cuts bar the ones on his face. Maybe he had hit his head? A concussion could cause memory loss, among other things. There were marks on his head that could've been from hitting the wall.

He moved his leg tentatively. It was painful but not all-consuming. so he did it again. And again. And again. It took an hour of his slow, small steps to get home. His entire body burned with exertion as he fell forwards onto the front door. The thump alerted Sayu and his mother who had stayed home while his Father searched for him with the police, that he was there. 

The door swung open suddenly, nearly depositing his exhausted body on the foyer floor. Luckily, Sayu found herself directly beneath him and served as a cushion.

Light did not remember much else of that night, other than being rushed to the hospital. It was all a blur of coloured lights and uniformed men and women. He did remember the needle being stabbed into his arm, letting him drift away from his body's pain and into the blissfully dark and empty recesses of his mind.

xxx

_January 1998,_

The perpetrators of the "September Incident" as Sayu had deftly named it, were never caught. It irritated Light to no end but he supposed there must've been no witnesses. It seemed they hadn't touched him as they could not find even a shred of their DNA on Light and it wasn't for lack of trying. As September became October which blurred together with November and December, Light slowly healed from his assault. They had somehow managed to slightly damage his nerves and nerve damage, according to the kindly doctor, mandated bed rest. 

His days in bed were anything but restful. They were boring, the same routine every day. His sense of time completely evaporated, to the point where there were only three days of the week; Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow. Near the end of October, they let him go back to school which was both a blessing and a curse. A blessing to escape the jarringly repetitive routine of bedrest but a curse to face the curious question of the tactless berks people called children. He was swarmed by all of their disgusting little child faces asking their stupid child questions (Light conveniently forgot at this moment, that all of these children were within at most 11 months of his age). 

His life at school continued to be utterly boring. Once he'd met Aunt Tammie, he almost wished the boredom had lasted.

Tamara Rohmer was his father's foreign cousin. Also a police officer, Tamara had moved to Japan and enlisted in the police force. Like all other things she did, Aunt Tammie's cross country move had been an entirely spontaneous decision, meaning she had nowhere to stay in Japan.

All this to say that Light was sharing a house with the most chaotic person he had ever met. And he knew Heri. But perhaps the worse and maybe the funniest thing she ever did pertained to her brother's shirt. 

Soichiro Yagami loved his shirt. It was the only one he kept at home, opting to leave the others in his office. It was crisp and clean and such a beautiful cream white. Never in his life had he washed his shirt. He would not condemn it to being tossed around in a pool of soapy water. Unfortunately, some late January evening, he realised that his shirt was dirty much too late to bring it to the dry cleaner's

He resignedly put his lovingly folded shirt into the laundry basket so that his wife may wash it. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on your perspective, Aunt Tammie got to it first. She was clearly half asleep as she threw random clothing into the washer before starting it and wandering up to Heri's room which she was occupying for the moment.

The entire family slept soundly that night, blissfully unaware of what tomorrow would bring. However, soon enough it was morning and Light Yagami was fishing through the laundry in search of his tie. 

He sighed as his fingers prodded yet another piece of damp clothing, releasing its fluids onto his hand. Grabbing at a piece of clothing that felt remotely tie like, he tugged it out of the tangle of garments, only to stare at in with horror.

It was the shirt. Samantha as they had all taken to calling it as a joke. And Samantha was pink. 

Quickly and nimbly climbing the stairs, he burst open Tammie's room door. 

"Aunt Tammie, we have a problem," He choked out as he laid eyes on her dishevelled, minimally clothed form.

"Yes Light, darling?" 

"It's Samantha,"

She looked at him sternly but oddly proud. 

"Now Light, surely you're not already sneaking girls into your room through the window." Her face landed in her hands "God, I didn't start doing that until I was 15"

Light looked at her, horrified.

"Girls? Girls are the least of our problems right now," He held up the damp pink shirt, "Samatha is dad's favourite article of clothing,"

His Aunt Tammie snickered.

"Tammie!" He cried, voice rising an octave or two, "This is not the time for laughing. He will rampage when he finds this," 

Tammie snorted a bit before finally reaching out, grabbing the shirt and inspecting it.

"I can definitely get this out with a little bit of bleach," She told him, "But he's gonna have to go a day without... Samantha,"

Light's fading panic returned at full force. 

"But he doesn't have any other shirts,"

Aunt Tammie once again collapsed in a fit of laughter. "He- He- literally doesn't own- ANY OTHER SHIRTS," She howled, nearly slamming her fists into the floor like a scantily clad gorilla.

Light couldn't help but crack a small smile of his own. He could admit, despite his panic, that the situation was somewhat humourous. 

He looked back at Aunt Tammie rolling around on Heri's carpet. Maybe not that humorous though. 

"Aunt Tammie," He told her, exasperated, "We're against the clock here," 

It took her a couple of minutes but eventually, she straightened.

"All right, All right, squirt," His nose wrinkled at the nickname, "I've got just the thing for this situation," She rifled through the pile of yarn in the corner of the room before pulling out something short and white.

"It was supposed to be a sweater," she sighed "But I suppose your father might look better in a crop top,"

Had Light not fainted at her words, he would've been screaming.

The noise of Aunt Tammie shoving the white, yarn crop top onto his father's head pulled Light from his unconsciousness. Soichiro was now in the room, pinned down by his cousin and squirming, trying to get away from the white fluffy shirt.

When his head finally popped through the hole, he looked terrified and exhausted. His normally perfectly coiffed hair was in disarray and half of his stomach was still exposed.

"Beautiful," Aunt Tammie proclaimed, dragging him out of the room and down the stairs. The poor man did not even get a chance to drink his coffee as she shooed him out the door.

He reluctantly got into his car. Looking back at the porch, he could see his entire family waving him off with exaggerated grins on their faces.

Soichiro slumped in the driver's seat. He was never going to live this down.

xxx

_May 1998,_

Aunt Tammie, it seemed, was quite the asset when it came to project "Seduce the Love of My Life who Looks Exactly like my Twin Brother"

Of course, he'd had to endure relentless teasing in exchange for her help but it was a small price to pay for the attentions of the goddess Iha Masumi. He figured that the teasing would probably be a thousand times worse if Aunt Tammie had actually met Heri. The boy had conveniently evaded their crazy Aunt for an extra few months by leaving for boarding school only hours before Tammie's appearance. 

She had found out about Iha Masumi when she stumbled upon his secret desk drawer filled with drawings of her. 

"Damn Light, you're really smitten," She told him as she leafed through the one hundred page portfolio. "This girl looks a little familiar though. Have I met her somewhere?"

"No!" Light squeaked, "Never. You've never even been in the same building, not at all..." He trailed off laughing nervously.

She raised an eyebrow at him but said nothing. 

"Right. So you two are together right?" She asked 

"Together? Me with _Iha Masumi?_ " He said her name with a little breathy sigh, "I wish,"

Aunt Tammie sighed fondly and patted his head. "We've all been there, kid,"

Light threw himself backwards onto his mattress, bouncing slightly.

"Luckily for you," His aunt continued with a mischievous smile, "I have just the thing to help you out," 

Light straightened immediately.

"That's what you said that time you turned Samantha pink with your magenta underwear," He told her suspiciously.

She just grinned widely and fled the room, leaving Light to pace anxiously. It took several hours and Aunt Tammie's trip to the postbox before he realised that a fair bit of his portfolio was missing. 

He hardly slept, no less anxious now that his drawings were discovered to be missing. The entire situation reeked of Aunt Tammie. In fact, he was sure it was her because she had found the very same drawings that morning and their subsequent disappearance was immediate. the only real question is what she did with them. Closing his eyes and nearly forcing himself to sleep, Light figured he'd find out tomorrow. Aunt Tammie's plots usually played out very quickly.

Light did indeed find out the next day but it was nothing like he expected.

He was shell shocked when Iha Masumi came up to him. She was actually talking to him! He was in such a state of bliss that he didn't even register her words.

He was immediately pulled from his stupor when she showed him a picture of a framed drawing of her. His drawing of her. Framed on her wall. His jaw dropped.

Masumi had started talked again and was now holding her hand out expectantly.

"Friends?' She asked, smiling kindly. 

Light grasped her hand and shook it gently. "Friends,"

xxx

_June 1998,_

It was the screaming for Light. He could endure the sobbing, the pleading, the absurd bumping into the wall. But the screaming was intolerable. Light threw his pillow at the wall in frustration. Heri had never had nightmares like this before.

He had absolutely no clue what could have prompted a dream like that. It sounded rather traumatic and attending a fancy private school was surely anything but. Slipping out of bed and throwing his blanket around his neck, Light padded quietly over to his brother's room. 

He knocked lightly before pushing the door open to find Heri squirming around in his bed, covered in sweat with his eyes screwed tight. It was his foot flailing around wildly that had been making the thumping noise, he discovered as he approached his brother, uncertain as to whether or not to wake him. 

His tear tracked face glistened slightly, illuminated by the moon as it voiced desperate pleas.

"Stop," He pleaded, "Stop, Stop, Stop. PLEA-" he interrupted his own panicked words with an ear-piercing scream. Any indecision Light may have felt melted away and he rushed over, shaking Heri awake.

His twin awoke with a sudden jolt, eyes searching the dark room wildly for an imaginary threat. They landed on Light, seeing, but not seeing _him_.

"I'm sorry," he cried, tears rolling down his cheeks, "I don't know what I did to you. Just stop. Stop hurting me.

Light's heart splintered as he watched his twin brother break down in front of him. He hopped into the bed, grasping a wide-eyed Heri in his arms as he struggled to free himself from the embrace.

"Stop," Heri mumbled.

Light did not stop. With no clue what to do, he improvised by holding his twin close and stroking his long hair as his frantic breaths evened out and his cries for help became quieter and quieter. Eventually, Heri stilled in his embrace, falling into what seemed like a much more peaceful sleep than before.

Trapped between his brother and the wall, Light dropped his head onto the pillow, resigning himself to the fact that he would be stuck here until morning. Sleep came easily to him but it did not leave him in peace. He dreamt of his pleading brother, chained against the wall, gashes opening seemingly magically as he begged for it to end. A striking, lightning-shaped cut had been opened upon his forehead, an unnatural shape.

"Light," The chained boy whispered.

Light gasped as he woke, sucking in air like a drowning man. As his breathing slowed down and his mind started to focus, he realised he was alone in the bed. A figure stood over him, not tall enough to be intimidating. At least until you see the expression on their face.

Heri's usually delicate face was twisted into a savage scowl, his arms crossed tightly across his chest.

"Good Morning Light, " He said in a clipped tone, flawlessly conveying his anger. "Might I ask what you were doing spooning me?"

Light's face flushed a cherry tomato red. He glanced carefully up at Heri's face, struck again by his striking resemblance to his goddess of a friend, Iha Masumi. His eyes paused as he contemplated a hair-covered part of Heri's forehead, where the lightning cut had sat in his dream. 

"You had a nightmare," He said, rubbing the back of his neck somewhat guiltily, "You were screaming and crying so I came in and I ended up trapped between you and the wall,"

Upon hearing his explanation, Heri's face softened with an unrecognisable emotion. He blew out the air from his lungs as the rest of his body deflated.

"Thank you, Light," he told him with a small, grateful smile on his lips, " I'm sorry for the questioning... and I'm sorry I woke you,"

Light did not have a chance to even speak as his brother swept from the room. He was left sitting there in his nightclothes, red as a tomato. He groaned and faceplanted back into the pillow. Why did Heri have to look so much like Masumi?

Later that day, Heri left the house, insisting he had an errand to run. He returned home empty-handed yet strangely satisfied.

As of that night, Light never heard another scream, sob or plead from Heri again. Instead, the world was oddly quiet, the world outside muted to those within the house.

xxx

This is such a 180 from the mood of the ending but guys, look a this. I'm screaming. Also, someone tell me why Ryuk canonically has more iconic eyeliner than I could ever do in my life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't you just hate it when you're craving a specific trope but you've already read every single fic twice?
> 
> Erm so anyways I just completely planned a Gay Superspy!AU


	6. Life as a (Not So) Single Twin (Part 1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter really kicked my ass. Between having almost no motivation to write and life getting in my way whenever it was humanly possible, I'm surprised this is only a week late. Anyways, I'm really sorry about the delay. On the plus side, it was my birthday the other day. Yay, I'm one year closer to paying taxes and my inevitable death. Whoop.
> 
> Anyways, enjoy the chapter!

June 1998,

Cosplaying a statue was cool. The people that sat out in the streets, painted and still were awe-inspiring. But Heri's statue cosplay? Disgusting. If he had to rate it, it would be negative one thousand out of ten.

He'd made no effort when it came to his costume. Instead of incredible painted garments and skin, Heri had donned a very, very large sweater that Aunt Tammie had made that one time she tried knitting and tied his hair up into a bun. His breaths came evenly but much too deep for anyone to think he was made of stone. Instead of standing on the pavement, he sat on a floor cushion, legs pulled underneath him and books full of people sitting in the same position as he was spread out around him in a ring. He wore large glasses, a recent addition to his face as he had ruined his eyes with all of his reading by candlelight. With his eyes closed, he looked poised, relaxed and concentrated. And if Light were being honest with himself, he would admit that Heri pulled off the glasses rather well.

Heri's statue cosplay clearly needed work. This was why Light was so hesitant to bother him. The problem was, Light's required several players and unfortunately for both him and Heri, he only had two hands.

Light poked him with his index finger. "Heri?" he called out to his brother.

The boy didn't move. His eyes stayed closed and his body didn't move an inch par the rise and fall of his chest.

"Heri," Light poked his brother a bit more forcefully. While his finger caused Heri to sway for a moment, he quickly corrected himself and stilled again.

Light whistled out loud, not caring about whether or not it would annoy his brother. Despite his awful costume, something could be said for his ability to stay still and silent.

He inched closer to his brother, waving his hand in front of his face. When he still didn't move, Light pulled a very juvenile face.

"Challenge accepted," he said, glaring at Heri.

He stood there in front of him, just as still and quiet as Heri for many moments before suddenly lunging forwards and clapping in his face.

"Still not moving," Light remarked, rushing upstairs together with his supplies. he dashed around the room, filling his arms with potential Heri waking instruments. As he ran around, he stomped on the floor for good measure, knowing that his brother was sitting directly underneath. he eventually returned downstairs to the living room, unsurprised to find that Heri hadn't moved an inch.

He set the pile of various noisy and distracting objects on the floor before grabbing himself a pillow, throwing it onto the carpet and plopping down in front of Heri.

Light kicked aside a few of the books, watching disinterestedly as they flipped closed, allowing him to see their titles. "Connecting with the Mind, Meditation for Dummies and Rid Yourself of the Burdens of the Past, Face the Future with a Clear Mind" were among the discarded tomes.

He snorted. It wasn't even a cool cosplay then, Heri was just meditating. Further determined to save Heri from his decidedly grown-up and boring pastime, Light snatched the airhorn from the top of the pile.

He positions it so that it's as close to his brother's ear as possible and pushes down, cringing at the sharp wail of the horn. after a few uneventful seconds, Light stops the noise and glances over at Heri's face which hadn't shifted at all. It was so still that Light had to rethink his earlier opinion on his acting.

Tossing aside the airhorn, Light grabbed a pair of cymbals and promptly slammed them together in front of his brother's face. The loud clang reverberated through the house, eliciting a few yells from Sayu.

He cringed as he heard her stomping down the stairs. At age 8, She had become quite the strict and bossy girl. So when She came stomping down the stairs, Light knew he was about to receive an earful for distracting her from whatever she'd been doing.

As expected, "Yagami Light!" was screeched before her foot even hit the bottom step.

"What do you think you're doing banging things around like that," She spotted the cymbals and gave him an incredulous and suffering look.

" Must you always be so thick-headed. We have neighbours Light, neighbours! Neighbours who don't want to put up with you playing musician at all hours of the day," She continued as she walked up to him and snatched the cymbals out of his hands.

"Go play with some other toys," She told him condescendingly before going back to her room, taking the cymbals with her.

Light turned back to his brother, ready to try his next idea.

Heri, he observed, hadn't moved or otherwise broken from his trance even when faced with Sayu's impressive set of lungs.

Shrugging, he plucked a colourful toy gun off the floor, stepped 10 paces back and pointed his it at Heri's forehead.

His finger snagged the trigger and his aim was true, hitting his brother with a soft smack of plastic on skin. The impact caused Heri's eyes to flutter momentarily but they stayed firmly closed.

A small victorious grin spread across Light's face. He was making progress.

As it turned out, Light was not really making any progress. He tried everything he could think of, even hanging himself off of Heri's shoulders when he became truly desperate.

A glance a the clock mounted to the sitting room wall told him that he'd been working to get Heri's attention for no less than an hour and a half and the growl of his stomach told him that it was nearing dinner time

As his thoughts began to wander to delicious foods, the smell of his mother's cooking wafted in, permeating the room. It caused his stomach to growl again weakly like a drugged animal.

Light rose from the couch, ready to abandon his quest when something miraculous happened. Heri's eyes fluttered open abruptly, his dilated pupils struggling to adjust to the dim light of the single lit lamp.

The reason for his sudden return to the land of the living room became apparent when he rubbed his abdomen, glancing down at it sheepishly.

He shakily rose from his pillow, leaving behind an imprint of his arse. Guided by his nose, he followed the direction of the smell, not pausing once to acknowledge Light's presence. He only looks up when a peal of laughter escapes Light's lips.

Despite having basically taken a conscious nap all day, He looked surprisingly tired. A tinge so dark it might as well be permanent painted the skin beneath his eyes. The sleep in his eyes, chapped lips and dried drool around his mouth did not help with the image.

His haggard appearance did not stop Light's laughter and when his brother did not stop after a few moments, Heri rolled his eyes and walked into the dining room in search of sustenance.

Light wiped the tears that had formed in the corners of his eyes away.

"Food," He said, his voice conveying his dry amusement, "All I needed was some bloody food,"

xxx

Early July, 1998:

Light was not quite sure how to be a friend. he'd never had very many. People tended to gravitate towards him but he pushed them firmly away. This was not an option when it came to Iha Masumi. He could never reject the attention of his stunning goddess. He figured he was doing alright. Their friendship was an affair of casual touches and secret smiles and entwined hands, nothing outside the norm according to Light's thorough research. He did not realise that their bond was heading in a direction he might have hoped for if he even dared to let the idea form in his mind.

The pair had been nestled into the Iha family Library's couch, a moderately sized and plush thing. Each was sucked into their respective books, Light sunk so far into the couch that he was practically sinking into it. His head, placed carefully in Masumi's lap, was the only thing keeping him afloat in the veritable sea of burgundy cloth.

His nimble fingers flipped the pages easily as his eyes flew across the pages of the thick tome he had plucked from the shelves. It was a spy novel, set in the years of the American Lavender scare, a dark time for their intelligence community and many individual spies, officers and detectives alike. It was a particularly fascinating albeit somewhat obscure book and he had immersed himself completely into it, his hearing shutting itself down to preserve his focus.

He could feel reality crumbling apart around him, leaving him in a world of superspies and corrupt Governments.

A scene appeared before him, projecting itself in the back of his eyes. It was clear, almost as if he was watching a translucent movie unless he tried consciously to watch it, causing it to melt away. The scene was of the very passage he was reading, detailing the scare in great detail.

A pair of men, one dressed sleekly in black and the other in dirty slacks and with a false beard, embraced affectionately. One was still tied to a small metal chair, presumably for interrogation though from whom remained a mystery.

Gently, the agent was untied by his partner, allowing him to leap out of his chair and rub the sensitive skin of his chafed wrists.

A genuine smile and a soundless witty reply later, the pair took off running in a veritable labyrinth, the one dressed in a suit checking his watch consistently

As they ran, Light's perspective shifted. Instead of watching them from above like some sort of bored god or horrifying floating head, He found himself inhabiting the body of the man in black.

Fear coursed through his veins as he ran. He knew that they had what they needed to get out before they found them.

He and his companion, a man who's appearance shifted consistently ran into a large room, full of what were clearly enemy operatives. He glanced back at his companion who was currently looking like Masumi. The man appeared to be frantically planting explosives. The sound of thumping boots met their ears, echoed and distorted by the metal corridors.

The planting of bombs became even more frantic, Faux-Masumi's hands shaking and consistently missing the buttons he needed to hit. The sound of the boots got closer and his partner, now finished with planting the bomb, pulled out a radio.

The sound of his voice was drowned out by the sound of heavy boots meeting steel floors like a sinister metallic drumbeat. Despite the lack of words, Light easily read the expression on Faux Masumi's face. Horror and resignation. There was no backup, no miracles. They would die, either there or at the hands of the men stationed in the room and stomping through the hallways.

Their eyes met and they came to a silent agreement. Better dead here than dead having spilt secrets of the state, even if the state scorned them.

His companion swept over to him, pulling him close in his arms. Their foreheads connected as the man pressed the detonator, sending out a deadly blast.

They held each other in a close embrace as they braced themselves for death. The man's hair seemed to be glitching. It couldn't seem to decide between to lengths. Eventually, it settled on being long and Light's eyes flicked up to meet his. They were still the brilliant green that Masumi had although, like the hair, a strange light flickered in them.

As the force of the explosion embraced them, Light pressed his lips softly and chastely to those of the other man. It was the last sensation he felt as flames and energy enveloped him destroying him and his partner completely.

Light awoke gasping for air, tears leaking from his eyes. He breathed hard, keeping his eyes clothes as he processed his dream.

"Light?" A soft voice asked.

His eyelids parted to meet Masumi's worried gaze.

"Light are you alright?"

Light immediately tensed but Masumi's grip was strong and it would take quite a bit of struggle to escape. When he opened his eyes completely, he found that he had somehow slid up Masumi's body in his sleep. His head rested on her shoulder. Her arms were wrapped around him, one rested on his hip and the other held open the YA fantasy novel she'd bought last week.

From this angle, Light had a wonderful view of her face. It was framed by black hair that curled loosely around her face. Where many girls he knew had rounded and delicate features, Masumi face was full of shocking, hard angles and strong features. Her eyes, the crown jewels of the masterpiece that she was, shone sympathetically and with open affection.

"What did you dream about?" She asked him, placing the book onto a nearby side table.

Light stared at her, breathing hard as her face curled into a small smile.

"You," He told her, casting his gaze down as he tried to dry his tears .

"Hmm," Masumi hummed, reaching out nervously. Her elegant fingers tipped his face up towards her.

"Do you dream of me often?" she inquired?

Light felt his face flush and Masumi took his silence as an answer.

She leant down, her warm breath fanning his face. Her lips met his in an innocent kiss. It was much nicer than in his dream. Masumi's lips were slightly chapped, the texture tickling his own pleasantly and much warmer than he'd imagined

She pulled back much faster than she'd approached, sporting a bright blush that surely matched his own.

They said nothing after that, just sitting together on the couch, Light's face buried in her shoulder.

He would really have to thank Aunt Tammie for this, he mused as they sat. She really was quite the catalyst.

xxx

July 1998,

Hindsight really was a bitch.

That was Light's only thought as his twin brother and best friend stared at each other in shock. Masumi had just shown up at his door, ready for their celebratory fast food spree. Having just gotten their exam results, they were both quite proud of their tests. To say that they were at the top of the class would be a gross understatement. Light and Masumi soared above the rest of the class, a pair of Icarus with no sun to melt their wax wings.

It was inevitable that Heri would meet Masumi. Light had just completely forgotten that they did actually live in the same universe. He anxiously watched his shell shocked friends and was not at all relieved when they both started laughing.

They laughed similarly, he noted as he prepared himself to face his self-fashioned impending doom. It was a nice laugh, full of teeth and smiles.

"You... It seems you've got a type, Light," Masumi chuckled as Heri nodded his agreement.

As hard as he tried, Light couldn't keep his blood from rushing to his face. Cursing his fair skin, he bore the blush embarrassedly, knowing that his entire face was probably the colour of tomato ketchup.

"I don't have a type," He huffed, crossing his arms.

His childish response was met by two raised eyebrows.

"Of course Light," Masumi appeased, "Clearly you just thought we were the same person,"

Light's flush darkened.

It wasn't like that. He adored Masumi, he revered her. He loved her as much as a person of his age could love. And Heri... Heri was just his super-smart twin brother. Of course, he loved him but he did not revere him as he did Masumi.

"You two have some very obvious physical differences." He told them stubbornly instead of voicing his thoughts.

He gestured at Masumi. "Your hair is shorter and you don't have his scar,"

Masumi turned to Heri, gazing at him with mock disappointment.

"Oh lost twin of mine, How could you mar your precious skin?" She placed the back of her hand against her forehead dramatically, "Now we may never confuse our peers. We will always be told apart by the mark on your..." She trailed off inquisitively. Heri raised a hand and brushed his hair aside in answer, exposing a jagged scar on his forehead.

"Wow," Masumi told him, moving closer to admire the pink mark. "This looks fairly recent. How in the world did you manage to do that,"

Heri's smile shifted from genuine to pinched.

"Accident at school," He said, keeping his response short and concise.

Light's mind wandered to his nightmare, the night he and Heri had an impromptu sleepover, and shuddered. The image of his twin brother chained to the wall, littered in gashes effectively soured his mood.

"Ah," Masumi answered eloquently, somehow sensing the change in mood.

Heri smiled somewhat painfully.

"I won't hold you two up for too much longer," he gave Light a forced conspiratory look.

"Have fun on your date. Don't screw this up because it might be the only chance you'll ever get" He stage whispered, causing Masumi to snort in amusement and Light to glare at him sullenly.

"Shall we m' lady?" Masumi teased, holding her arm out for Light to grasp. His glare turned to her and softened slightly at the genuine smile on her face.

He rolled his eyes and set off down the sidewalk, not bothering to shorten his strides so that his significantly shorter companion could keep up.

"M'lady!" she cried as she raced after him, "I know you're a strong independent woman but would you please slow down for this poor little knight,"

Light huffed in amusement, slowing his stride by a fraction. Masumi quickly fell into step beside him, the pair falling into a strange sort of silence. As they walked side by side, Masumi fixed him with an unusually intense look.

"What is it?" He asked, equal parts bemused and bewildered.

"Make no mistake Light," She told him solemnly, all trace of her earlier jokes long gone, "We will be talking about this,"

Light shuddered slightly, knowing exactly what Masumi was talking about. He could feel beads of sweat trying to form on his forehead as he forced himself to think of how he would explain to his girlfriend that her doppelganger was his brother.

They continued to walk, hand in hand, neither at all inclined to break the silence that hung thickly between them.

They would speak later and deal with all the problems that would arise from that conversation. For now, they were on a date.

Light paused to glance at his girlfriend for a moment.

They were on a date and Light was going to enjoy it without thinking of his imminent post-conversation castration looming in the near future.

xxx

October 1998,

As Aunt Tammie was laying being operated on, under anaesthesia and on a metal table, The Yagami's lay casually on their couch, watching an old, cheesy Haloween movie.

As the doctors dug out the shrapnel out of her chest, Sayu Yagami laughed heartily at a particularly funny pun.

As the doctors breathed a sigh of relief that they had successfully sucked the blood out of the cavity around Tammie's Heart, Soichiro Yagami received a call.

He moved to a different room so that his panicked voice would not be heard by the rest of the family. The phone call was a short one, short but very important.

"Everyone, we have to go, now." he rushed into the sitting room where the movie was still playing though none were still paying attention.

"What's wrong with aunt Tammie?" Light asked worriedly. Though he would never admit it, his aunt had become a very big part of his life in the year she'd been living with them.

Soichiro looked at him, his expression filled with his own worry.

"She..." He trailed off as he was forced to look ahead by flashing street lights. "She was attacked. attacked during her patrol,"

The panic rushing through Light's veins felt a little less overwhelming when he heard it had been a patrol attack. Patrol was usually one of the easier parts of being an officer. Most ended up taking in only one or two felons for mundane reasons such as public intoxication or nudity or loitering.

Light was almost relaxed for the rest of the car ride. That is until they pulled up into the hospital parking lot. His eyes widened when they passed the sign that read Kyoto City and they stared at the back of his fathers head, full of childish betrayal as that pulled into a parking spot in the car park.

"I thought you said she was injured on patrol!" He exclaimed angrily.

"She was," his father replied, his normal stern voice having replaced the worried, wavery one from before. "Stabbed three times in the abdomen then thrown down three stories into an alley,"

Light's stomach rebelled, stirring uncomfortably.

"We need to go see her," He said softly and the rest of his family nodded in agreement.

It wasn't difficult to find Aunt Tammie's room. After Soichiro announced that he was the police chief and that Aunt Tammie was one of his officers, they were lead straight to her.

Light approached his aunt as Soichiro was pulled away to answer some questions as the police chief. She was sleeping. The drugs in her system had probably already worn off, her exhaustion keeping her unconscious.

"Aunt Tammie," He laid his head on her shoulder which, according to the report, had not been damaged in any way. "Who did this to you?" tears began to roll down his face.

A weak hand stroked his hair lovingly as he lay there, sobbing into her shoulder. His head lifted slightly and he saw his Aunt's eyes were open.

"Who did this Aunt Tammie?" He asked again.

"Terada Natsuko," She rasped out and Light gasped, partly because he hadn't expected an answer at all and partially because of the identity of her attacker.

Terada Natsuko was a well-known businesswoman, the sole inheritor of her father's company, Terada Trading when he died. she was generally very well like about the country, known for her astounding displays of philanthropy and passionate protests against the pollution of the earth.

Terada Natsuko was the kind of woman the public would assume wouldn't hurt a fly. That was what made Aunt Tammie's accusation entirely believable. The people with the cleanest records were most often, the shadiest. that someone with such a pristine reputation could attack a cop shouldn't surprise light one bit and yet he gasped.

"Was there any cameras, any witnesses, any evidence at all?"

Tammie shook her head softly and Light's hands clenched into fists.

"You would never win." He told her and her face stayed serene, as if she already knew that. Considering her job, she probably did.

"But... You're just gonna let her go? She attacked you! You got thrown out of a three-story building! Surely getting justice for yourself is worth the risk of being sued for defamation!"

Tammie just shook her head and he knew that it was a lost cause.

"Sir," A nurse said from behind him. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't yell at my patient,"

"Sorry," He let his head dip slightly.

"Now out you go, your family is standing outside," She shooed him away. he stepped reluctantly ou the door to wait with everyone else for Aunt Tammie's release.

In reality, it took two weeks for the hospital to finally release Tammie. When she came home, she was not the prankster she had once been. She had been more subdued and obedient, closer to being the stuff of some wealthy 50's man's wet dream. Perhaps her experience had shaken her permanently, to a point Light could and would ever really understand.

He never did tell the truth of Tammie's attacker to the rest of the family, barring the letter he wrote to Heri the next day and he sincerely doubted that Tammie had told them either.

he knew as the only one with the information, he would be the one to avenge her. And avenge her, he would.

xxx

November 1998,

Light was beginning to think he was just a masochist, with the way he still watched the woman he was impotent against. It had been a month since the attack. Aunt Tammie was very well recovered and Terada had continued to live her life as normal. She was an important woman, always surrounded by bodyguards. Still, he couldn't help but continue to watch. Watch her go about their life when Aunt Tammie would never really be the same. Watch her enjoy luxuries she didn't deserve, paid for by unearned money. He watches her and vows that one day, she will pay for her crime. Light would not fail where the court did, no matter what it cost him. His family, his life, his freedom, they were all a small price to pay for justice

xxx

May 1998,

It didn't hurt as much as it should've. Light stared up at Masumi and could see that she knew exactly what he was thinking. A small glint in her eyes also told him she knew why.

"Goodbye," he whispered against her lips as they stood together in the airport.

"I'm sorry," She whispered back. "I'm sorry for leaving,"

Masumi pulled back, a small grin distorting her face. "Maybe... Maybe it's for the better. I know it was sparked by Dad getting a new job but I think you might be better off without me around," She told him, looking back at her dad.

Light looked at her, bewildered. "Better?"

Masumi just stared at him, searching for some kind of hidden knowledge within his gaze. She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"You really haven't figured it out yet?" She asked him, the fond exasperation clear in her voice, "Well neither has he, I suppose. Just don't freak out when you find out," She told him, the exasperation turning to mischievousness as she spoke.

She skipped off towards her Dad, leaving Light standing alone, looking more confused than ever.

"Wait. Masumi what do you mean? Come back here!" The laugh he'd heard so much over the last few months was his only response.

He stopped and huffed in slight annoyance. She'd said he would find out eventually hadn't she? Masumi was usually right. He only hoped she hadn't covered his trophy wall in glitter again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In conclusion, Light is a bottom and Tammie is a Bicon.
> 
> Also lmao, I'm so sorry about that kissing scene. I know that it could definitely be better but that's all I could do. They say write what you know but ya girl will be alone forever so... ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯. 
> 
> Besides, they're both twelve. Unfortunately, I was twelve once and I vividly remember what it was like. It was the beginning of my peers getting together and discovering their attraction (Or non-attraction) to other people. It was a period of hand-holding, innocent touching and the occasional chaste kiss. I'm really not trying to write a makeout session with twelve-year-old children so that's what you all got 
> 
> Thanks for reading everyone!


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